Four 'dangerous' men jailed for a combined 43 years following Reading shooting

Four dangerous men have been jailed for the combined total of 43 years in connection with a drive-by shooting.

The incident happened at 3.31am on 16 October 2019 in Laytom Rise, Reading.

Joseph Waters discharged a firearm seven times into the back of a car, intending to kill a 42-year-old man who was sat inside.

The victim sustained a gunshot wound to his shoulder and has made a full recovery.

Joseph Waters, aged 25, of Laytom Rise in Tilehurst, Cleon Douglin, aged 37, of Coley Avenue in Reading, Lee Peppiatt, age 36, of Corinne Close in Whitley, and Sahit Shehu, aged 31, of Bunces Lane in Burghfield were all convicted by a jury at Reading Crown Court.

Waters was convicted of attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and two counts of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply.

Both Douglin and Peppiat were found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and Shehu was convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Waters for 24 years, Douglin for 14 years, then Shehu for five years. Peppiat is due to be sentenced on 6 May.

Thames Valley Police said: "He fired seven shots towards the rear of the car, in the early hours of the morning in a quiet cul-de sac in Reading, clearly showing absolutely no regards for the community in what must have been a terrifying thing to hear or witness.

“Officers then later discovered that a significant quantity of controlled drugs were located in a vehicle linked to Joseph Waters, then a further quantity were located at another property linked to him"

All four were part of a five-week trial at Reading Crown Court. Two other defendants that were also on trial, Joshua and Monique Sofroniou, were found not guilty of the charges they faced.

Detective Sergeant Gareth Perry, of Newbury police station, said: “Shortly after midnight on 16 October 2019, Sahit Shehu was involved in a road traffic collision which took place in Southampton Street, after which witnesses reporting seeing him transfer a handgun from his damaged vehicle into a BMW X5 which had arrived to pick him up.

“Inside the BMW was Lee Peppiat, who took Shehu back to his home address, before then transporting the firearm to Laytom Rise.

“After the flurry of gunshots towards the car, Waters then got into a Ford Fiesta vehicle that had been hired by Cleon Douglin, and they both fled the scene. Peppiat left the scene in the BMW X5 vehicle that he used earlier on the same evening."

Thames Valley Police says it will not tolerate this form of criminality in our communities, and will always investigate offenders, and bring them to court to face justice.